“Your work is fine, Alicia,”soothed Miranda. “If I suddenly take your place, the Lady willcomplain about you running the place and that will start anotherrow. I will talk with Orthan about giving you a holiday. Perhaps abit of time away from each other will calm you both down. I am surethat Lord Wason will readily agree.”
“Well, I could use a bit of aholiday,” Alicia cheered. “A couple of extra pence would help abit, too,” she pushed.
Miranda nodded as the bell rang again.“But, first, you will have to finish today at least. Whatever shethrows at you, just bite your tongue and swallow it. We have a goodthing going here and I’ll not have you spoiling it.”
“Yes, Miranda,” Alicia said asshe scurried up stairs to answer Niki’s bell.
Alicia knew she was in trouble when sheentered Niki’s suite and the woman was standing there tapping herarm with a grim determination on her face. “My Lady rang?” Aliciasaid.
“Yes, I rang and you took longenough to get here,” scowled Niki. “Where is my lunch? I asked forlunch an hour ago.”
“Begging My Lady’s pardon,”Alicia trembled, “but you said you didn’t want any lunchtoday.”
“Fool!” shouted Niki. “Youoffered me crab meat or salmon for lunch and I said if I couldn’thave lobster, I wouldn’t eat. Don’t you know a demand for lobsterwhen you hear one? Do you expect me to starve while you and theothers stuff your pockets with my money?”
Alicia lost it and exploded. “How doyou expect me to read your mind?” shouted Alicia. “You said youwouldn’t eat and now you wonder where your lunch is? And as for themoney, you don’t have a pence to your name. You are here at thesufferance of Lord Wason and mercy knows why he puts up withyou.”
Niki’s face grew bright red and beforeshe knew what she was doing, she straightened her arms and lashedout with a Force Bolt. Alicia flew back and was suspended about afoot off the floor with her back pressed hard against the wall. Thefury slowly drained from Niki’s face and after a few moments shereleased the spell with the intention of apologizing to the maid.As soon as the maid had her feet on the ground, she spun and ranout of the room screaming at the top of her lungs that there was awitch in the house.
Alicia ran down the stairs and out theside door of the mansion, almost colliding with Orthan. Orthangrabbed the woman and Miranda appeared through the door.
“Whatever is going on?”demanded Miranda.
“I have no idea,” confessedOrthan as the maid continued screaming, but no longerunderstandable. Orthan shook the woman to get her to come to hersenses and Fredrik arrived just in time to see Miranda slapher.
“What is the problem?” Fredrikasked.
Alicia looked at him with eyes widewith fear. “She’s a witch.” She screamed. “She’s a witch and shetried to kill me. I have to report her. Let me go.”
Fredrik and Orthan eyes locked.“Miranda, hold her until I get back,” Orthan commanded and draggedFredrik inside.
“There is going to be greattrouble,” Orthan confided. “Many things we could cover up, but thisis not one of them. The Company will be out for blood. They may notbother you if you can prove that you did not know, but they willkill her, for sure.”
Fredrik nodded sadly. “Orthan, I wantyou to detain her as long as possible. It won’t be for very longbecause her screaming was quite evident from the street. If I die,you are out of a job and I am out of a life. Neither of us wantsthat. I am going on a long trip. Handle everything while I am gone.If I do not come back, just continue as if you expected me to begone for a very long time. You will think of something; at leastyou will be cared for. As for Niki, say that she became possessedafter some bad food. Make any excuse you can think of. I will gether far away from here. Tell the Mercenaries that I was chasing hersouth, trying to catch her and kill her. The Captain will believethat. Throw saddles on the two fastest horses and I’ll get ourlittle witch down here as quickly as I can.”
“I’m truly sorry, Sir,”responded Orthan. “I’ve grown to like you. We really pulled off agood one and I think we could do more. Do come back, your Manorwill be waiting.”
Fredrik smiled at the old man and ranup the stairs. Niki was waiting at the top of the stairs with thetwo travel bags that Fredrik had demanded they keep ready. “I’msorry, Fredrik, I couldn’t help myself.”
“I know, Niki,” he statedsadly. “We probably didn’t belong here anyway. We have to hurry.They will kill you on sight.”
They each hefted one bag and hurrieddown the stairs and out the back door towards the stables. Orthanwas standing ready with two horses and a sad face. He helped Nikiup onto one of the horses and she bent and kissed his head. “I’msorry, Orthan, I guess I made a mess of everything. I thought youwere all the enemy, but I heard what you said to Fredrik while Iwas at the top of the stairs. Forgive me.”
Fredrik mounted up and instructed Nikito ride as fast as she could northward. After she took off, Fredrikfollowed at a distance that might look like he was chasing her ifanyone was looking. After they got a mile out of town, Fredrikcaught up with Niki and they took a small trail westward to getaway from the road.
* * * *
Arik and Tedi finished up their swordpractice and sat down leaning against the wagon wheel. Garth hadn’tbeen seen in an hour and they were bushed from the exertion oftheir mock battle with wooden swords. Garth’s instructions over thepast few days had been unending. When they were too tired topractice swordplay and too sore to practice riding, Garth wouldteach them about tracking or which type of plant life was edibleand which was poisonous. He was a merciless instructor. If the boysdidn’t learn the lesson to his expectations, he started the lessonover again until they got it right. Several times Tedi threatenedto walk away, not in front of Garth, of course, and Arik hadpersuaded him to remain. Arik seemed to revel in the fightingskills while Tedi was more interested in the woods lore. Both ofthe boys enjoyed tracking and riding. Neither of them enjoyed thetask of chopping firewood, but Garth was insistent that it woulddevelop the very muscles they would need in swordplay.
The wagon shook slightly as Kalinaexited the wagon on the opposite side from the boys. “You have beengone longer than is normally necessary,” Kalina could be heardsaying. “Is there something amiss?”
“It is very puzzling,” said avoice that the boys recognized as Garth’s. “I am sure that someoneis following us. All of the signs are there. They are not excellenttrackers and stray off the path now and then, but there can be nomistaking that they follow us.”
“Can you tell who it is?”Kalina asked with a touch of worry in her voice.
“That is the puzzling part,”conceded Garth. “I circle around them to determine who they are andno one is there, yet I am positive that my skills are not failingme.”
Arik’s mouth dropped open at thestatement. Arik had begun to believe that Garth could track a flyacross the night sky with the skills and tricks he had beenteaching the boys. For him to admit that someone was following themand he could not find them defied the imagination.
“How many days now?” Kalinaasked.
“Three days,” Garth stated.“They seem to know where we stop each night, but they never comeclose enough for their fire to be discovered. “I have also variedour heading several times each day and always they follow. Thereare times when they lose our track, but they always manage to pickit up again with some uncanny luck.”
“How are the boys comingalong?” Kalina asked, suddenly changing the subject.
“They spend way too much timeresting and listening to other people’s conversations,” Garth saidsternly.
Arik and Tedi snapped their heads upand saw Garth staring at them. They both scrambled to their feet.“It was not our intention to listen,” Arik spat out with a sheepishgrin. “We were too tired to continue with our swordplay and you hadnot returned. We only meant to rest a while.”